Inside The Mets

Phillies ace gets honest about facing Mets' Juan Soto

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler spoke about competing against New York Mets slugger Juan Soto.
Grant Young|
May 23, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) walks back towards the dugout after the fourth inning against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images
May 23, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) walks back towards the dugout after the fourth inning against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images | Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

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A June 13 article from Matt Gelb of The Athletic revealed that Philadelphia Phillies ace Wheeler is dead-set on retiring once his three-year, $126 million contract extension that he signed in March 2024 expires after the 2027 season.

So while the New York Mets presumably only have about two and a half years left of worrying about facing Wheeler (who spent the first five seasons of his career with the Mets, posting a 44-38 record with a 3.77 ERA and 726 strikeouts in 126 appearances), they still have to deal with him right now.

Read more: Rival GM reveals why Mets are 'dangerous' to deal with at trade deadline

And Wheeler dealt against the Mets on June 20, pitching five scoreless innings while racking up eight strikeouts in a game that Philadelphia ended up winning 10-2. Wheeler's last pitch of the evening was a dirty sweeper that Mets slugger Juan Soto (who had walked in his first two plate appearances against him) swung over for a strikeout.

Wheeler spoke with the media after Friday's game and was asked how he feels about Soto being back in the NL East.

"You know, it's always a good, competitive at-bat. You know, we've faced each other a lot over the years. He's a competitor, I'm a competitor. So I always enjoy facing him," Wheeler said of Soto, per an X post from SNY.

Soto has solid career stats against Wheeler, posting a .259 average with a .892 OPS, 3 home runs, 16 walks, and 16 strikeouts in 54 at-bats. Watching these two go toe-to-toe for at least through the 2027 season will surely be exciting for baseball fans.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Mets and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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